"I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia" - Kyrie Irving is open to the possibility of playing for Australia in the Olympics

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has always relished playing for the Stars and Stripes. Proof of this is the three gold medals he has won while representing the United States in international competitions, including the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

But much to his and everyone's surprise, the eight-time All-Star wasn't included in the American squad that competed and won the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In an interview with The Athletic, Irving spoke about the snub and the remote possibility that he would suit up for the country where he was born – Australia.

Slim chances

Australia's men's national basketball team — nicknamed the Boomers — is a rising power in international hoops. With solid NBA players on their roster like Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum, and Josh Green, Australia has a chance to make noise in international competitions. However, the potential addition of Kyrie to the squad could bring them over the top.

"I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia, man," the three-time All-NBA Team member stated .

However, Kai said the possibility of that happening is slim. Although he holds dual citizenship, he can only suit up for the Boomers if USA Basketball and FIBA give him the green light.

"I don't think it's a strong, strong possibility at this point, depending on what the Olympic Committee does. But as a competitor, I was born in Australia. For me, it's not a hard transition to make," Kyrie added.

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Kai was not on the Avengers

In previous iterations of Team USA , a pool of players was brought in to compete for spots on the prestigious team. However, that wasn't the case with the latest roster, as only a select few were invited to training camp for the Olympic squad. As a result, Kai was left out of the mix.

"I won't say it was hurtful not to be able to try out, but it just was weird that we weren't able to try out and get together as a group because the USA team is not just 12 guys or 15 guys," Irving shared. "So there is a pride thing there, and I have history. There was such a great competitive pool that you can test yourself against because it's the best in the world. It's not every day you get a chance to go against players of that caliber."

With 2028 still far away, Irving is focused on helping Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks make their way back to the NBA Finals and bring home another championship trophy.

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